Friday, October 29, 2010

The Fort by Bernard Cornwell

How do you write 450 pages about a battle that didn't happen?

It isn't easy, but somehow Bernard Cornwell, NYT bestselling author of Agincourt, managed to make it fairly interesting. It's not exactly that the battle at Penobscot didn't happen; it's that, after much planning and the first assault by the American Rebel forces against British Fort George, bickering and lack of cooperation among the militia, the Navy and the Marines -- and a frustratingly haughty and prickly, Paul Revere--caused them not to follow through and destroy the fort while it was still vulnerable.I can't say I was hooked on this book from the beginning. There were too many characters introduced too quickly, and, outside of Peleg Wadsworth, none of them were treated with enough depth for me to really care. Cornwell ends with the destruction of the fleet, apparently considered the worst American naval disaster prior to Pearl Harbor. As a history, that's the proper ending point, but as a novel it felt as though it ended in midstream. Characters like John Fletcher and his sister Beth are introduced with great promise, but their stories go nowhere.Cornwell's battle scenes are well-done and riveting. Indeed, that's when my interest first piqued, after which point I decided to stick with it. Some historical novels focus on the individual acting within the event, and some focus on the event itself. The Fort leans toward the latter, which was interesting for me, but not beyond three stars.

This book was provided free of charge under the Amazon Vine program, in return for posting a review at Amazon.com.

Subscribe To

Interested in This Book

Click on the image in the review and order the book directly from Amazon.com. No need to cut and paste URLs or remember to spell the name correctly!

FTC Disclosure

In compliance with new FTC Disclosure Rules that went into effect December 1, 2009, I will be noting when a book reviewed on this site was provided free of charge under the Amazon Vine program or as a review copy from the author or publisher.
Also when readers purchase a book through this site by clicking on the image I am eligible to receive a small compensation.

LinkWithin

My Philosophy of Reviewing

After reviewing for a couple of sites online and in print, I decided I preferred my independence. Understandably, publications with a lot on the line get a little nervous about giving a book any less than a positive review. But, frankly, I disagree with that approach. Readers look to reviewers to help them decide what books to read, and while it all comes down to taste, if readers find our tastes mesh most of the time, my thoughts will be something to consider. Whether I like or dislike a book, I will always give good reasons; I will not resort to vitriol; and I will never use a review as a platform to show how clever I am. In fairness, I should point out that I do not consider all books on a level playing field. I will often hold a well-known or best-selling author to a higher standard than a newcomer.

That's my philosophy. If you equate book reviewing with high praise, you may want to skip this blog.